Few new arts organizations have hit the ground running as successfully as Mill City Summer Opera.

The company's maiden voyage was an excellent 2012 production of "Pagliacci," presented in the Mill City Museum courtyard, a roofless riverside ruin on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. And now the troupe has returned to the former flour mill with a version of Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" that's even more ambitious and accomplished.

Mill City's staging of this bel canto comedy crackles with energy and imagination, with every lead outstanding in both voice and vivid characterization. The colorful costumes are eye-popping and the orchestra excellent, making this a sophomore effort that manages to outshine a very impressive debut.

So how did this new troupe get so good so fast? Well, artistic director David Lefkowich and music director Brian DeMaris obviously have a lot to do with it, for they've clearly convinced their cast and orchestra that "The Barber of Seville" is all about pace, passion and infectious fun. But what a cast they've assembled, with the central roles sung by emerging talents fresh from singing leads at top European and American opera houses.

The only catch is that tickets are hard to come by. The Mill City Museum courtyard seats only 335, which makes for an intimate operatic experience. Alas, the run is sold out, save for 20 rush tickets made available at 5:30 p.m. the day of each performance. But this production makes standing in line an inviting option.

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Before the familiar overture ends, the audience already is careening around corners in a high-speed vehicle. A count has fallen for the fiery young ward of an aging doctor, but she's under a kind of house arrest. So the count enlists the help of the title character, Figaro, who develops a series of schemes involving disguises and duplicity to unite the count with his love.

The rhythms of the music and the action are impressively synchronized throughout this interpretation, which bears the spirit of a buddy caper comedy. The comedic comrades are tenor Taylor Stayton -- who has richness in his voice and a twinkle in his eye as Count Almaviva -- and Lucas Meachem, who displays power and purity in his booming baritone while his Figaro works the crowd like a politician at a parade.

White Bear Lake native Heather Johnson recently has found success at New York's Metropolitan Opera, and it's easy to see and hear why when she delivers Rosina's sweet or surly arias. Rossini was an egalitarian composer, creating opportunities for many a singer to shine, and Jake Gardner and Seth Keeton take full advantage as the doctor and his music teacher accomplice. But so do the soloists within the orchestra, which sounded terrific under DeMaris' direction.

Also impressive were the 18th-century attire created by Jennifer Caprio (who would think chartreuse and turquoise would go so well together?) and the farce-friendly staircases and balconies of Jo Winiarski's set. They're an integral part of a production that makes the old mill a warm and wonderful place to spend a summer evening.